Curious about the new EU Parliament dynamics? This article breaks down who’s in, who’s out, and what it means for Europe. Dive in and share your thoughts in the comments!
– Introduction
– Behind-the-Scenes Maneuvers
– Political Group Changes
– Patriots for Europe
– Current Landscape
– Conclusion
– Outro
Discover the latest changes in the EU Parliament. See which political groups are gaining power and what it means for Europe. Engage and share your thoughts!
TL;DR
• EU Parliament elections in June 2024 led to significant political realignments
• Center-right EPP remains largest group, but right-wing factions gain ground
• New “Patriots for Europe” group emerges as third-largest, reshaping far-right landscape
• Identity and Democracy (ID) group dissolves, members joining other factions
• European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grows, becoming fourth-largest group
• Renew Europe loses seats, dropping from third to fifth place
• New “Sovereignists” group forms, representing ultra-nationalist views
• Right-wing groups remain fragmented despite numerical strength
• Shifts likely to impact EU policy-making on integration, sovereignty, and foreign relations
• Future leadership and policy directions remain uncertain amid new power dynamics
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes, 57 seconds. Contains 2190 words
At the start of June, hundreds of millions of Europeans went to vote in one of the biggest democratic events in the world. They elected 720 members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who will make important decisions for Europe over the next five years. The election process is fascinating: people vote for their national parties, and these national parties then collaborate with other national parties from different countries to form EU political groups. These groups are like coalitions of like-minded parties across all European countries.
While the elections themselves are long over, the real excitement has been happening behind the scenes. For the past month, there’s been plenty of haggling and horse-trading as these political groups were being formed in the European Parliament.
Behind the Scenes: Forming the Political Groups
Right after we voted on June 9, seats were distributed among seven political groups. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) won the most seats, 190 with Ursula von der Leyen at the helm. This group includes parties like the German CDU, Spain’s PP, and Italy’s Forza Italia, and many more.
Next came the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group with 136 seats, including parties like Italy’s Democratic Party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, and the German SPD. Following them, the liberal Renew Europe group secured 80 seats, including parties like France’s Renaissance, Progressive Slovakia, and the German Free Democratic Party (FDP). The Greens managed to win 52 seats, including parties like Germany’s Greens, France’s Ecologist Party, and Italy’s Green Europe.
The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) garnered 76 seats, including parties like Brothers of Italy, Poland’s Law and Justice, and the Sweden Democrats. Then the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group obtained 58 seats, including parties like France’s National Rally, Austria’s Freedom Party, and Italy’s Lega. The far-left group, The Left, took 39 seats, including parties like France’s La France Insoumise, Greece’s Syriza, and Germany’s Die Linke.
Let’s reorder this quickly by their size.
| Political Group | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| European People’s Party (EPP) | 190 |
| Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) | 136 |
| Renew Europe | 80 |
| European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) | 76 |
| Greens/EFA | 52 |
| Identity and Democracy (ID) | 58 |
| The Left | 39 |
A Sea of Change: Political Realignments
Additionally, there were 18 members of parliament elected who were unaligned to any political group, such as the German AfD, Italy’s Five Star Movement, or Hungary’s Fidesz. This non-aligned group was poised to change the political landscape, and indeed, it did. Since the election, Renew Europe dropped from the third-largest political group to the fifth, two new groups have been created, and one political group disappeared completely.
ECR and the Renew Europe Shuffle
It all started right after the election with Meloni’s ECR, who had their sights set on becoming the third biggest group in the European Parliament. They quickly managed to pick up multiple parties from the non-aligned stack, most notably five seats from the Romanian AUR party, not to mention a seat from the Greens, ID, and two more from the unaligned stack, bringing the ECR to 85 seats.
Renew Europe, meanwhile, suffered a major setback as Czechia’s ANO and their seven seats left the political group due to disagreements over immigration and the Green Deal. With these shifts, Meloni’s ECR became the third largest group in the European Parliament for the time being.
Orban’s Patriots for Europe
Remember Orban from Hungary, whose party Fidesz has been unaligned since being kicked out of the EPP group in 2019?
This time, he wanted to do things differently. He got together with his mates from the Czech Republic and Austria, creating a new political group. On June 30, Austria’s Freedom Party left the ID group and joined Fidesz and ANO from the non-aligned stack to create a new group called the Patriots for Europe. To be recognised by the EU, a new group needs parties from at least seven countries and 23 seats, meaning they didn’t yet meet the threshold.
No time was wasted, though. Within days after the formation and announcement, the EU right-wing political landscape completely changed. From the non-aligned stack, Czechia’s Přísaha, Latvia’s Latvia First, and Greece’s Voice of Reason all joined the Patriots for Europe. The ECR lost their six Vox seats, and the EPP lost one seat, all of whom joined the Patriots. But the group that got completely decimated was the ID group: Belgium’s Flemish Interest, the Danish People’s Party, the Dutch Party for Freedom, Portugal’s Chega!, Italy’s Lega, and most importantly, France’s National Rally all switched to the Patriots.
The Fall of ID and the Rise of Patriots for Europe
So yeah, the ID group is dead, with the one leftover seat joining the non-aligned stack. As for the Patriots for Europe, within two weeks, they catapulted from non-existence to becoming the third biggest group in the European Parliament with 84 seats.
But that’s not all. The ECR lost another seat to the non-aligned group, bringing their total tally to 78, and Renew Europe wrested two seats away from the EPP and two more from the non-aligned stack, bringing their total to 77. The EPP took one seat back from the Greens to bring their final tally to 188 seats. The Greens won three new seats from the non-aligned pile, taking their total to 53. The Left had one party leave to the unaligned stack but made significant gains as Italy’s Five Star Movement was recently accepted into their group, bringing their tally up to 46. And lastly, the S&D saw no changes, holding their 136 seats just like a month ago.
Here’s the new seating arrangement:
| Political Group | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| European People’s Party (EPP) | 188 |
| Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) | 136 |
| European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) | 78 |
| Patriots for Europe | 84 |
| Renew Europe | 77 |
| Greens/EFA | 53 |
| The Left | 46 |
| Non-aligned | 58 |
| Identity and Democracy (ID) | 0 |
New Political Dynamics in the EU Parliament
The Sovereigntists
Among the 58 non-aligned seats, the German far-right AfD has a staggering 14 seats. After being kicked out of the ID group and now overlooked by the Patriots group, they didn’t want to sit by the sidelines and created yet another political group called Europe of Sovereign Nations, or simply The Sovereignists. This new group includes several parties and has a total of 25 seats, making it the smallest political group in the European Parliament.
Plotting the Political Spectrum
Let’s plot these parties on a horizontal line, with the far-left on the left, the far-right on the right, and the center parties in the middle. Here’s what it looks like:
Clearly, there are more seats on the right side of the EU Parliament than on the left. In fact, if you take the three parties on the very right of the spectrum and add their seats together, they would be almost as big as the EPP, with 187 seats.
- Why Can’t the Right Unite?
- Why are these three right-wing groups not working together?
- What do they actually stand for?
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
The ECR is a right-wing conservative group that champions traditional conservative values and policies as soft Eurosceptics. They advocate for limiting further European Union integration while supporting the sovereignty of member states. However, in the area of defense, they back increased EU cooperation to enhance the collective security of all member states. Additionally, the ECR is a strong advocate for Ukraine, supporting humanitarian, financial, and military aid.
The Patriots for Europe
The Patriots for Europe are a far-right group that believes in a Europe of strong and independent nations. As Eurosceptics, they promote national sovereignty and oppose any further transfers of power to European institutions. In fact, they advocate for power to be returned to the member states and revert to an economic union while upholding each nation’s right to independent diplomacy. Regarding Ukraine, they allow their members to take their own stance: for instance, the Dutch PVV is willing to consider more Ukraine military aid, while Hungary’s Fidesz is strongly opposed to military support.
The Sovereignists
The Sovereignists are an ultra-nationalist group that is pro-Russian and very Eurosceptic. They were born mainly out of the will of AfD Germans not to be marginalized as a non-aligned party. They have no formal manifesto, but their intentions are clear: They oppose most EU policies and seek to return powers from Brussels to the national level, including abandoning the euro and holding referendums on EU membership.
Can the Far-Right Unite?
No, not even close. The ECR is significantly different from the Patriots and the Sovereignists, especially regarding their stance on Russia and Ukraine. The Sovereignists are simply too extreme, even for the Patriots. Additionally, many parties and their leaders simply don’t like each other.
The Current EU Parliament: What’s Next?
So here’s an overview of our new EU parliament for the next five years. A seat here and there might still change, but overall, this is what we’ll need to work with. And who will lead this bunch, you ask? We have an article coming soon, so follow our blog if you are interested.
Conclusion
The European Parliament is ever-changing and dynamic. With new groups, shifting alliances, and realignments, it’s a fascinating spectacle of democracy in action. The journey of political groups from election to establishment within the Parliament highlights the complexities and nuances of European politics. As we continue to observe, it’s clear that understanding these shifts is key to grasping the broader political landscape of Europe. Stay tuned to see how these new dynamics will shape the future of the EU, and what it means for the world at large.
Note: This post was inspired by an insightful discussion on the latest shifts in the European Parliament and aims to provide a comprehensive overview for those interested in the ever-evolving political scene. For more such updates, consider subscribing to our newsletter.
Takeaway!
Introduction to the European Parliament Election
- Election Process: At the beginning of June, hundreds of millions of Europeans voted to elect 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for a five-year term. Voters choose national parties, which then form EU political groups.
- Formation of Political Groups: Political groups in the European Parliament are coalitions of like-minded parties across European countries. The formation process involves substantial negotiations and coalition-building post-elections.
Initial Distribution of Seats and Prominent Political Groups
- Largest Political Groups: The center-right EPP emerged as the largest group with 190 seats, followed by the center-left S&D with 136 seats, and the liberal Renew Europe with 80 seats. The Greens secured 52 seats, the ECR 76, ID 58, and The Left 39 seats.
- Non-Aligned Members: There were also 18 non-aligned MEPs from various parties, such as Germany’s AfD, Italy’s Five Star Movement, and Hungary’s Fidesz, poised to impact the political landscape.
Changes in Political Group Dynamics Post-Election
- ECR’s Growth: The ECR aimed to become the third-largest group and successfully incorporated multiple parties from the non-aligned stack, boosting their seats to 85.
- Renew Europe’s Decline: Renew Europe faced a significant drop, falling from third to fifth-largest group due to departures over internal disagreements.
Establishment of New Groups and Existing Group Dynamics
- Patriots for Europe’s Formation: A new group, Patriots for Europe, was formed by Hungary’s Fidesz, Czech ANO, and Austria’s Freedom Party. It attracted members from other groups and non-aligned parties, quickly rising to the third largest with 84 seats.
- Id Group’s Demise: The ID group was significantly weakened as many member parties joined the Patriots, leaving ID to collapse entirely.
Current Composition and Alignments in the Parliament
- Overall Composition: The current standings show the EPP with 188 seats, S&D with 136, ECR with 78, Renew Europe with 77, Greens with 53, The Left with 46, and the new Patriots for Europe with 84 seats. The sovereignist group formed with 25 seats.
- Non-Aligned Members: There are still 58 non-aligned seats from diverse national parties, including Germany’s AfD, which created the Europe of Sovereign Nations group.
Ideological Stances and Policies of Groups
- ECR Ideology: The ECR champions traditional conservative values, limited EU integration, and increased EU defense cooperation. They also advocate for strong humanitarian and military support for Ukraine.
- Patriots for Europe’s Stance: This far-right group promotes national sovereignty, opposes further EU power transfers, and allows varied stances on Ukraine.
- Sovereignists: The Sovereignists oppose most EU policies, are pro-Russian and ultra-nationalist, favoring the return of powers to member states and the abandonment of the Euro.
Summary and Outlook
- Lack of Far-Right Unity: Despite significant shifts, the far-right groups (ECR, Patriots, Sovereignists) remain fragmented due to differing stances on Russia, Ukraine, and mutual animosities.
- Future Leadership: Upcoming content will explore potential leadership within the current European Parliament configuration.
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